1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spring manufacturing line, and in particular, a spring manufacturing line in which a formation device that manufactures a spring product may be easily switched.
2. Description of Related Art
A stabilizer is connected to left and right suspension devices of a vehicle and thereby prevents rolling of the vehicle; however, in order to avoid interference with parts disposed at a lower surface of the vehicle, such as a differential gear, a propeller shaft or the like, the stabilizer is manufactured by bending a rod-shaped spring material into a complex 3-dimensional shape.
A formation device is used to bend the spring material into a 3-dimensional shape. The formation device is provided with a plurality of formation units that perform a hydraulic bending process on the spring material, and a control unit that controls the formation units. The control unit operates each of the formation units in a predetermined order, and as a result the spring material is bent into a predetermined shape to become a stabilizer.
However, since the position of parts such as a differential gear, a propeller shaft or the like, differs depending on the type of vehicle, it is necessary to change the shape of a stabilizer according to each type.
As a result, in a stabilizer manufacturing line, it has been necessary to prepare a plurality of formation units with different arrangements and configurations, and when a stabilizer with a different shape is to be manufactured, to switch formation units according to the shape of the stabilizer to be manufactured.
However, when a formation unit is to be switched, it is necessary to detach a hydraulic line or air pressure line or the like that drives each formation unit, from a stand (a base mount) to which the formation device is attached at the time of manufacturing a stabilizer, and subsequently, after releasing a lock mechanism that secures the formation device to the stand, to lift the formation device by a crane and move it to a reserve stand.
As a result, the switching of formation devices is a laborious operation. Particularly, when a plurality of types of stabilizers are to be manufactured by a single line, since it is necessary to switch formation devices within short intervals, such as two hours, the necessarily laborious nature of the switching becomes a serious problem.
As a manufacturing device that addresses the above problem, a stabilizer formation device has been proposed in which a platform shaped main body is provided with plural attachment mounts, the respective positions of the attachment mounts being adjustable, and formation units are respectively secured to the attachment mounts, and by adjusting the positions of the attachment mounts, the positions of the formation units may be adjusted (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 10-175034).